From the standpoint of hygiene improvement in the living environment, ethyl alcohol, sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution, benzalkonium chloride aqueous solution, and the like are used as sterilizers, disinfectants, and/or deodorizers.
These conventional sterilizers, disinfectants, and/or deodorizers, however, may not provide a sufficient sterilization and/or disinfection effect against Noroviruses, influenza viruses, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, for example, may not provide a sufficient sterilization or disinfection effect against pathogenic bacteria carried by house dust, pollen and the like, and allergic substances, for example, and may not provide a sufficient deodorizing effect against feces and urine, for example. Moreover, the use of these sterilizers, disinfectants, and/or deodorizers in a high concentration and a large amount leads to problems such as side effects on human bodies and adverse effects due to a residual odor and corrosion after use.
Chlorine dioxide gas, which has potent oxidizing properties, has an extremely high sterilization effect, disinfection effect, and deodorizing effect, compared to the conventional sterilizers, disinfectants, and/or deodorizers mentioned above. Therefore, methods, liquids, and compositions for producing chlorine dioxide gas as a sterilizer, a disinfectant, and/or a deodorizer have been proposed.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-278808 (PTD 1), for example, discloses a pure chlorine dioxide liquid having dissolved chlorine dioxide gas, chlorite, and a pH adjuster as components, a gel composition containing a pure chlorine dioxide liquid and a high-water-absorbent resin, a foamable composition containing a pure chlorine dioxide liquid and a foaming agent, a container for containing any of the gel composition and the foamable composition, and so on. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-321666 (PTD 2) discloses a method for generating chlorine dioxide gas wherein chlorine dioxide gas is continuously generated from a gel composition obtained by adding, to chlorite aqueous solution, bleaching powder or an isocyanuric acid as an activating agent, a gas generation control agent, and a water-absorbent resin, and by gelling the mixture.